Advertising on social media is somewhat of an art. You want your ads to be engaging (visually and content-wise)—but at the same time they need to be clear, with a strong call to action.

If you’re not seeing the traction you’d like from your recent Twitter campaigns, this blog post—posted by the social media giant itself—offers five pretty good tips for writing effective Twitter ads. In our experience, many of the tips highlighted in the article—such conveying a sense of urgency, offering something for free (particularly content) and phrasing ads in the form of a question—are all effective strategies to garner likes, responses and retweets. That said, we have a few things we’d like to add to the list:

A consistent, memorable and (in some cases) unique hashtag—particularly when you’re advertising an event or report—can go a long way. In these cases, your hashtag should be a tool to help your readers learn more about the thing you’re advertising (and help you keep track of who’s Tweeting about you).

Don’t be afraid to lighten things up. A little bit of humour and wit can not only make your ad stand out but—if it’s funny enough—it can also stick in your reader’s mind.

Include interesting visuals. An engaging photo—or interesting gif—can really make a good ad great.

Do you advertise on Twitter? If so, what content tips/tricks keep your readers coming back for more?